When All Else Fails
by Benesound
Summary: Purple Trance returns to help her Golden self.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda. I don't get paid. This is purely a work of Fan Fiction.

I noticed that when I saved this file as a text file that I lost a lot of my question marks and periods. I don't know why. Anyhow I fixed it.

**When All Else Fails**

Harper was worried about Trance. Although he still missed his Purple Princess, he had finally gotten used to her being different. But lately he noticed her acting a bit peculiar, even for Trance. In the past week, he had only seen her on the command deck. He was beginning to think that she was avoiding him for some reason. He tried to think of something he might have said or done that could have offended her. He couldn't think of anything, … well he couldn't think of anything serious enough for her to be avoiding him. He hadn't even came onto her for well over two weeks. "Could that be it?" He wondered. "No that's silly"

He decided to go see her.  
First he went to med deck, but she wasn't there. He then tried Hydroponics, but she wasn't there either. Finally Harper went to her quarters on Andromeda, but when he buzzed her room he didn't get an answer.  
He was starting to get more worried.

"Andromeda." Harper called.

"Yes Harper." Andromeda answered, as her beautiful holographic image appeared before him. "Can you tell me where Trance is?"

"Trance is on the Maru Harper. Why? Is something wrong?"

"I… uh,… I think I upset her Rom Doll."

"What did you do Harper?" Andromeda asked accusingly.

"I don't know Rommie, but it must have been bad, because it seems like she's been avoiding me. I've probably only seen her five times in the last week."

"She has been spending a lot of time on the Maru lately. Perhaps she's just been busy with a new plant or something."

Rommie didn't like seeing her engineer upset. Especially when there was a chance that there was no need for it. She hoped Harper was mistaken about Trance being mad at him. She knew how much they meant to each other, mainly when she was still purple, but their relationship was getting better.  
Harper brightened up a bit.

"Thanks Rom Doll. You're probably right. I'll go to the Maru and talk to her. Maybe I can help her with whatever she's working on. You always know how to cheer me up Rommie."

"You're welcome Harper"

Harper leaves, heading for the hangar deck, where the Maru is berthed.

"I hope you didn't get his hopes up only for them to be crushed." Andromeda's screen persona said.

"What could he have done that would cause Trance to avoid him, and he not even realize he did it"

"We are talking about Harper." Screen Andromeda said.  
A worried look fell across the face of Andromeda's hologram.

"Is there any way we can talk to Trance before he reaches her"

"No. The Maru is not currently linked to any of our systems"

"What about our Avatar?"

"I'll contact her, but I don't know if she will make it to the Maru before Harper or not. He does have a head start"

"Yes, but she is faster than him." Holo Andromeda added.

"We'll see."

On the Maru, Golden Trance is sitting on her bed, legs crossed and eyes closed. Her Banzai tree is on a shelf next to her bed.  
She is in a trance. Within the depths of her mind she sees a small light off in the distance. Then another one appears, and another, and another. Finally there are billions of small lights all around. She recognizes them for what they are. Stars. She watches the stars for a while, then they start to move, slowly at first, then much faster. The stars all rush towards her. As they near her she realizes that they are not full sized stars, but only about the size of a large Beach Ball like she had seen on Infinity Atoll.

"Hello?" Trance says. "Who are you?"  
The multitude of stars now surround her. One nearest her begins to take humanoid form. Trance quickly recognizes the form.

"We are you." The star says, after finishing it's transformation.  
Trance looks around, and sees that all the stars surrounding her have also taken on her form. Some looked as she did now, some as her younger purple self of the past, while others were red, blue, and even green. She knew the significance of each color, but she didn't understand what was going on.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "Why am I here?"

"You are here because you did an injustice to your past self."

"What are you talking about? I did what had to be done for the greater good, and for the perfect future."

"TRANCE GEMINI!" Her identical twin said with anger in her voice and fire in her eyes. "Do you know where you sent your innocent counterpart?"

"She,… she went to the future that I came from." Trance said in a low voice.

"Did you honestly believe that she was prepared for what she would find in that future, and what she would have to endure?"

"I,… I never thought about it."

"YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT!"

"All I could think about was saving my friends, and fixing things. I figured what happened to her,…me,… was an acceptable sacrifice. Anyhow, I figured she could cope….I did." She added quietly.

"You were wrong." Came the answer from another of her twins. This one looked like her younger self, tail and all.

"After you switched places with her, she entered into a universe that she had only seen in her worst nightmares. Andromeda was destroyed, Dylan was dead, Tyr had betrayed his friends, and the Commonwealth as well as her perfect future was gone forever. But the worst of all these, and I'm sure you already know what that is, was the fact that Harper, her best friend, your best friend, was gone, and there wasn't a darn thing she could do about it. You figured she could COPE? Well cope she did, but it wasn't in the manner that you thought"

"How did she cope?" Trance asked.

"She decided that she could no longer exist in a universe that could be so evil. She also decided that a universe so evil didn't deserve to exist."

"What? She didn't! I couldn't!" Trance could hardly believe what she was hearing. Sure when she originally lost Harper she was devastated and heart broken, and when Andromeda and her crew were destroyed she had thought about,….But she couldn't! There was still some good people left in this universe.

"Trance we are the Avatar of this universe. When you sent your younger self into that future, she didn't have your experience to deal with such traumatic of an ordeal. Becka tried to help her, but you know as well as I, that the Becka from that time period had become somewhat cold when it came to matters of the heart. She had long ago lost the ability to love, and unfortunately the ability to comfort a friend. Seeing how much Becka had changed was hard on her, but what drove her over the edge came about a week after the two of you changed places."

Trance didn't want to hear anymore, but she had to ask. "What happened?"

"It seems that some of Becka's cybernetic implants were black market items. They were poorly made and flawed. Smugglers would often hide these black market items with other illegal items. It seems that her artificial eye had been hid in a container of flash. She died"

Trance is speechless. She had no idea her younger self would be so unprepared for what awaited her. She then scolded herself. "_How could she be prepared? She hadn't lived through the horrors that I had. I lost a little piece of who I was with every tragedy. She was thrown into it all at once. Did I even stop to question what would happen to her? Had I fallen so far that I didn't care_"

The others watched her as she stood there speechless fighting the tears that were building up in her eyes.

"That's not the worst part." Yet another double said to her. This double however was red.

"What,… what do you mean? What can be worse than what I've done?"

"What can be worse?" The red Trance asked. "What about doing what you did in vain? You thought that changing places with her would allow you to fix things and everything would work out for the perfect Possible future, but you were wrong. Even you cannot help our friends defeat the Abyss and the world ship. They will try,…but they will die."

"No! This can't be true! This can't be happening! I can fix this! I know I can. I have to. I,.. I,…please, …help,… me"  
Now Trance was openly crying. After everything she had done, all the pain she had caused her younger self, she was still going to fail. She wasn't a child anymore, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She felt so hopeless. What could she do? Everything was all wrong.

As if sensing her thoughts, her golden double says softly, "There is still hope."

"What?" Trance asks, wiping her tears away. "How?"

"We can intercept the Teserect portal in which your younger self went through and bring her to your current time. With her help, your chances of defeating the Abyss will be greatly increased."

"But not assured." Trance added.

"Nothing is guaranteed Trance, but this is the best we can do. It is the only hope we have left."

"When will she arrive?"

"Soon."

"Thank you."

"Your task is the same as ours. If you fail we all fail. If you perish, we perish. We are Trance Gemini, Avatar of this universe."


	2. Chapter 2

Trance woke from her, uh, trance, and heard someone knocking on the outside of the Maru.  
"Come on Trance!" Harper pleaded. "Please forgive me. I'm not sure what I done, but it must have been pretty bad. Please just open up so we can talk."

Trance realized that Harper must have been referring to her lack of presence during the last few weeks. "He thinks I've been avoiding him. I guess I should have told everyone that I would be meditating every free moment I had, but how was I to explain the reason for my meditation or why it was so crucial at this time? I couldn't just come out and tell them "Hey everybody in two months we're going to come in contact with the world ship again and I know this because I'm an Avatar."

Trance began to head toward the door to the Maru to let Harper in, when a Teserect portal appeared in front of her. She smiled as she saw her younger self step out as the portal immediately vanished.

"It's good to see you again Trance." Golden Trance said.

"I thought I just left you." Purple Trance said. "Didn't it work?"

"It worked, but there's been a change in plans. I have already fixed most things that I came back to fix, but it's almost time for Andromeda to confront the abyss and the world ship. I need you. Will you help me?"

"Of course I'll help. I'd do anything to protect Andromeda and my friends."

"I knew you'd say that."

"Of course you did." Purple Trance giggled. "You're me."  
Golden Trance informs Purple Trance of recent events and about the vision she just had with her multiple selves.

"That's just,… weird." Purple Trance said. " Do you think we can defeat the Abyss together?"

"We have to." Golden Trance said, and Purple Trance agreed.

"Trance if you don't let me in,…" Harper stopped to think of something that would motivate her to want to open the door. "If you don't let me in, I'll tell Rhade you're secretly in love with him and want to…

The door opens and Golden Trance pulls him inside.

"I am not secretly in love with Rhade Harper." Golden Trance said.

"I know, but it got you to open the door." Harper said with a cocky smile.

"Harper, I want to apologize for not spending much time with you lately. I'm not upset with you. I've just been doing some much needed meditation. I'm sorry if you thought that I was intentionally avoiding you."

"Hey that's OK. I mean, … I know we're not as close as we used to be. Hey, I'm OK with that. I mean you're gold not purple. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never have my purple princess back again so I'll,… just,…uh,… Trance?"

As Harper was babbling away, purple Trance stepped into the room, in front of Harper.

"Hi Harper!" Purple Trance said, as Harper passed out on the floor of the Maru.

"Um, I guess I should have let you tell him first." Purple Trance said.

"Perhaps,…but did you see the expression on his face when he saw you?" Golden Trance asked. "That was priceless."

Rommie came running into the Maru and the first thing she saw was the two Trances. She was about to question them when she saw Harper lying on the floor. "What did you do to him?" Rommie asked with a threatening tone.

Before either Trance could respond to Rommie's question, she quickly picked Harper up and rushed him to the Med deck. As she reached the Med deck, Andromeda informed her that Harper's vitals were fine and that he was merely unconscious. Rommie gently laid Harper on the medical bed and waited for him to regain consciousness. As Rommie waited at Harper's side, Purple and Golden Trance entered.

"Um,.. Rommie, we need to talk." Golden Trance said.

"You think?" Rommie asked.

"Rommie I'm sorry." Replied Purple Trance. "I didn't mean for him to faint. I just wanted to surprise him."

"I'd say you did that.,… Trance?"

"Yes Rommie it's really me."

"I thought that you two switched places."

"We did.." Golden Trance said. "But things aren't turning out as I planned. So instead of her going back to my future, she came here, to a point in time that she can be the most help."

"Doesn't the two of you being here at the same time break a few cosmic laws?" Rommie asked.

"Um,… we're not really breaking them Rommie." Purple Trance said. "We're just sort of,… bending them."

Rommie wondered what the purple one meant by that, but before she could ask her to explain herself, she noticed Harper waking up.

"Rom Doll?" Harper said, when he saw her sitting by his side. "I just had the craziest dream. I was going to the Maru to talk to Trance, but when I got there, I saw two Trances. My Golden Goddess was there as well as my beautiful Purple Princess. Is that crazy or what? Uh,… Rommie?"

"Harper." Rommie said. "I don't want you to pass out again, but,… that wasn't a dream."

Harper looked over to the other side of the room, where he saw not one, but two Trances.

"Trance?" Harper asked, not quite daring to hope that this could possibly be true.

"Um Hmm." Purple Trance said, nodding.

"Trance is that really you!" Harper asked again, as he stood to his feet.

"It's really me Harper."

Harper ran to her, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her the biggest hug imaginable.

"I can't believe this! How is this possible? I thought you went to the future."

"Well, this is the future." Purple Trance said. "I just didn't go quite as far into the future as what we had originally planned."

"Does anybody else know you're here yet?" Harper asked.

"Rommie knows, so I assume that Andromeda does too." Golden Trance said.

"Andromeda?" Harper asked.

"Yes." Andromeda's hologram responded as she appeared in front of Harper. "I know about Trance's return, but I have not yet informed the others. I thought the three of you might want some time to get reacquainted."

"Thanks Andromeda. You can tell them now if you want."

"Thank you Harper." She said, and immediately vanished from the room.  
Harper looks back at his two best friends.

"I assume the reason that my Purple Princess has returned was not entirely for my benefit." Harper said.

"Not entirely." Golden Trance said.

"So,… we must be going to come up against someone mean, nasty, and powerful."

"I'm afraid so Harper." Golden Trance replied.

"Oh no. Tell me we're not going to face ole Red Eyes and his traveling Magog circus again."

"I'm sorry Harper, but we can't avoid it"

"Don't worry Harper." Purple Trance said. "I have a feeling things will be better this time."

"Better." Harper said. "I hope so. Because I don't feel like carrying a litter of Magog around again."

On the command deck, the rest of the crew were running battle simulations. "Rhade fire Nova bombs!" Dylan ordered.

Rhade pressed the buttons to launch the simulated bombs.

"Becka get us clear of this system."

"Entering slipstream in 3,…2"

Andromeda interrupted her. "I'm sorry, but you failed to escape the nova blast, We're all dead. To make things worse..."

"Don't tell me." Becka said. "The World Ship is still there?"

"Affirmative. According to the sensor scans I took the last time we faced it, no amount of Nova bombs hitting it's exterior will destroy it, just stun and disable it for some time."

"You could have told us that before we spent two hours running these simulations." Rhade growled.

"Rhade, calm down." Dylan said. "To be perfectly honest though Andromeda, I'm a bit curious too why you never mentioned this bit of information when we first started running the simulations."

"I'm sorry captain, but I have been,… distracted."

"Distracted?" Becka asked. "I thought you could handle billions of tasks simultaneously."

"I am embarrassed to say that something occurred, a bit out of the ordinary, that took my attention from your actions."

"What could possibly have been so important Andromeda?" Dylan asked. "Everything that happens with this crew is out of the ordinary!" Dylan didn't mean to sound so angry, but there was a threat coming that could destroy their whole way of life,…again. He couldn't have Andromeda be distracted right in the middle of attacking the real World Ship.

Andromeda's hologram appeared.

"Captain. I can explain." Her hologram said.

"This better be good, otherwise I'm thinking Harper may need to run a full diagnostic of your programming to see if you might have contracted a virus."

"No virus Dylan, but it does involve Harper."

"Has something happened to Harper?" Becka asked, jumping from her pilots chair and running toward the exit.

"He's alright now." The hologram said. "He just passed out."

"That hardly sounds like a reason to divert all your attention Andromeda." Dylan said. "Harper's been a lot sicker, and you managed to stay focused on all your duties."

Andromeda already felt bad, but everything Dylan said just made it worse. He was her captain, and she was supposed to be there for him. He was the only link she had to her life as it was, before being trapped in the black hole.

"I'm sorry captain, but when my Avatar found Harper, he was lying on the deck of the Maru. For an instant we thought he was..."

"Dead?" Becka asked.

"Yes, but he wasn't. He was only unconscious. My Avatar assumed that the two standing beside him had committed a despicable crime, and was about to retaliate. Instead she picked Harper up and rushed him to Med Deck. My sensors quickly let her know that he was merely unconscious."

"I have a question." Dylan said. "You said two people were standing over Harper. There is only one other person on this ship, that person being Trance. So are you saying we've been boarded and you neglected to tell us"

"_Yes captain we've been boarded by hundreds of brain sucking slime creatures, and I didn't tell you because you're a mean ole Poo Head_." This thought came to Andromeda, but only for a nano second. She quickly discarded it.  
Instead she replied. "There is nobody on board other than my crew. But we have been boarded."

Seeing their confusion, she continued.  
"The two beings that were standing over Harper were Trance."

They still didn't understand.  
"Who was with Trance?" Dylan asked.

The thought, "_No, Who's on first_." Crept into Andromeda's planet sized mind. "_Where are these thoughts coming from?"  
_"Trance." She answered instead.

"Yes Trance!" Dylan said. "what was the person's name with her?"

"_No What's on second_. _Apparently I do need Harper to run a diagnostic of my systems_.  
"Trance." She replied again.

"Andromeda." Dylan asked, trying to remain calm. "Where are Harper and Trance?"

"In Medical." The screen persona answered.

"Thank you. Becka you come with me. Rhade you have Command Deck."

"Is something wrong with Andromeda?" Becka asked.

"I don't know." Dylan replied, as they both headed to the Medical deck, hoping to make some sense of what was going on.

"Third base." The hologram said smiling.

"What did you say Andromeda?" Rhade asked.  
"Nothing,… nothing at all."


	3. Chapter 3

Becka and Dylan entered Medical, where they saw Harper lying on a bed with Golden Trance and Rommie standing next to him.

"Hey Dylan!" Harper shouted, with much excitement. "Have you heard?"

"I heard you passed out Harper." Dylan said. "What's this all about someone boarding the ship? I keep asking Andromeda who it is, but all she says is Trance. I think you may have to check her systems Harper. I think she's a little confused."

"She's not confused Dylan." Purple Trance said, as she entered the room holding what looked like a very old book.

"I know that voice." Dylan said. "But it's impossible."  
Dylan turned toward the voice, and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Trance?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Hello Dylan." Purple Trance said in her soft sweet voice.

"Trance?" Dylan tried very hard to accept what he was seeing, but his brain found it hard to cooperate with his eyes and ears. Finally he found the words to speak.

"How is this possible?"

"Remember when I switched places with my older self?"

"Yes."

"Well, she came to my time, and I was supposed to go to hers. Apparently in one timeline I did go to her time, but I don't remember it. Our other selves saw what happened to me in that time, and what I ended up doing. They decided to intervene, and have me come to this point in time instead. Here I will be able to help myself and all of you defeat the Abyss and the World Ship once and for all. Does that about cover it Trance?"

"Yes Trance. You covered everything very well." Golden Trance said.

"That explains how you're here, but I now have another question." Dylan said.

"What is it Dylan?" Golden Trance asked.

"You mentioned your other selves. How many of you are there"

"Hmm,… gosh,… that's a hard question." Purple Trance said. "Oh Rommie I brought that book I was talking about earlier. Give me a minute and I'll find the passage."

"Trance." Dylan said. "I'm not going to let you change the subject this time. How many of you are there?"

"Dylan." Golden Trance said. "When she said it was a hard question she was telling the truth. You see, there is no way for me to tell how many of me there are. All I know is that there is one of me for every possible timeline. Every time I make a decision, or anytime any of you make a decision, our timeline follows the path of the decision we made. On the other hand every possible decision we could have made was made in alternate timelines. It is possible for us to communicate on rare occasions with our other selves. Recently, while I was meditating on the Maru, I was contacted by a great multitude of,…me. They know that the timeline that I am in has the greatest chance of bringing about the one perfect future. They informed me that sending my younger self to the future that I came from was a terrible mistake. Also they told me that I alone would be unable to help you to defeat the Abyss, so instead of Trance going to the future that I came from, she came here"

"If what you're saying is true," Dylan said. "then there could be millions of you"

"That would be a very low estimate." Purple Trance said.

"More like trillions." Golden Trance said. "I've lived a very long life and made many choices."

With the Questions and answers session over, Becka gave Purple Trance a huge bear hug.

"It's great to have you back Trance."

"But,… Becka,… I've always been here. Well, my older self has been here."

"I know Trance, but it wasn't the same." Becka said, as Golden Trance quickly left Medical, clearly upset.

"Damn it!" Becka said. "Why is it that I always manage to say the wrong thing?"

"It's not your fault Becka." Purple Trance said.

"Yes it is Trance. You're my friend, She's my friend, and what I just said made it sound as if she wasn't good enough."

"She'll forgive you Becka." Purple Trance said.

"Yeah? Well, I'm going to go find her and apologize for what I said. Any idea where she might have went?"

"Try Harper's bunk on the Maru."

"Harper's Bunk? Never mind. I'll see you guys later." Becka left Medical, in search of Golden Trance.

"Hey Trance." Harper said. "Is that book what I think it is?"

"Yes Harper. Inside this book is everything you ever wanted to know about me. I still can't tell you everything, but I'll tell you what I can."

"Trance, maybe you should wait for Becka to return with the other Trance." Dylan said.

"No it's OK. She'll tell Becka and I'll tell you."

"Are you finally going to tell us where you come from and the name of your people?" Harper asked.  
"

To start off, I'd like to apologize to you Harper."

"What for Princess"

"For lying to you. Remember when I told you that you wouldn't be able to pronounce the name my people are called?" Harper nods. "That was a lie Harper. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you Trance. Don't worry about it. No big thing."

"Thank you Harper." Purple Trance said, as she took Harper's hand in hers. "You've always been my best friend and that will never change. I just hope that after you hear what I am that you will still feel the same way."

"Nothing can change the way I feel for you Trance." Harper said.

Purple Trance looked around the room at Rommie and Dylan. "I want you to know that although I kept things from you, I would in no way ever harmed any of you."  
"

Trance." Rommie said. "What are you?"

"I'm an Avatar."

"You're an android?" Dylan asked.

"No Dylan. But, I'm not exactly what you would call organic. You've probably read in mythology of gods taking on the form of men to interact with people."

"Yes." Dylan said, remembering all the creatures and gods of Greek mythology as well as the legends of Tarn Vedra. "Trance, are you saying, that you are a god?"

"No Dylan. I'm not a god. I'm a star."

"What?" All three asked in unison.

"I'm the avatar of a star. I can show you if you wish, but we would have to move to a larger room."

"Good I finally get out of the sick room." Harper said.

"Let's go to the Observation deck." Dylan said. "Will that be large enough Trance?"

"Yes Dylan. Thanks."

Once they arrived at the Observation Deck, Trance moved to the far side of the room.

"You may want to shield your eyes." Trance said.

"Here Dylan." Harper said, handing him a pair of welding goggles.

"What about Rommie?" Dylan asked.

"My optics are capable of filtering out intense and harmful radiation." Rommie replied.

"Alright Trance." Dylan said. "Whenever you're ready."

As her three friends watched, Trance took on her true form, that of a small, but very hot and bright star. Andromeda also watched as Trance completed her transformation.

"Wow!" Harper said. "You look absolutely radiant Trance!"

"Amazing." Dylan added.

"I'm detecting an immeasurable amount of energy emanating from you Trance." Rommie said. "It's really quite incredible."

Trance once again takes on her sparkly purple form.

"Radiant Harper?" Trance asked, feigning anger.

"I'm sorry Trance, but when you sparkle, you REALLY sparkle."

"Thanks Harper." "Trance." Dylan said. "I don't know what to say. That was breathtaking."

"You really are a star." Rommie said. "All my scans show that while you were in that form, that you had all the attributes of an actual star."

"I told you."

While Purple Trance was revealing her true nature to her friends, Beck was entering the Mauru.

"Trance! Trance are you in here?"

Becka walked through the Mauru's corridor back to the crew's sleeping quarters. There she found Golden Trance sitting on Harper's old Bunk with her head in her hands.

"Trance?" Becka said, but Trance didn't look up.

"Trance, I'm sorry for what I said. I wasn't thinking. I feel awful for hurting you. Please say something. Shout at me. Say anything."

"Becka. I lost you, all of you. Well, you were still alive, but you had changed so much that it was like being with an entirely different person… Perhaps that's how you all felt about me when I came back. I was paying so much attention to how everything was changing around me, I had neglected to see the changes in myself. I knew I had changed physically, but I never really comprehended how much I had changed mentally and emotionally till I saw my younger self again today. When I saw you welcoming her back and embracing her, I couldn't help but wish that my reunion with all of you could have been as joyous of an occasion. When I saw you Becka,… I had almost forgotten how beautiful you were. Then I saw Harper. I wanted to be able to put my arms around him and tell him how glad I was that he was alive, but he was mad at me. Becka my best friend in the world was mad at me for saving his life and for sending his Purple Princess away. I had my friends and family back alright, but I realized that it would never be like it was before."

Becka put her arm around Trance. "I'm sorry Trance. I don't think any of us stopped to think what it was like for you in the timeline that you came from. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to live through what you lived through."

"My Becka did live through it, but it wasn't pleasant."

"So. Are we still friends?" Becka asked.

"Always Becka." Trance said. "Becka, there's something I need to tell you….."

So Golden Trance told Becka of her true nature. Afterwards, the both of them exited the Mauru.

"Are you sure you're not a god Trance?" Becka asked.

Trance laughed. "Yes Becka. I'm sure."

"Just wanted to make sure." Becka replied. "Hey! There could be perks to having a god as one of your best friends." They continued to talk and laugh as they headed for the Observation Deck. Somehow Golden Trance seemed to know that's where the others were.

"Wait till the others find out!" Becka said.

"She's already told them."

"How do you know?"

"I know her like I know myself Becka."

When Becka and Golden Trance arrived at the Observation deck, Purple Trance had just finished showing the others how bright she really was.

"Becka?" Harper asked. "Did Trance tell you?"

"Yes Harper." Becka replied. "She told me. I always knew that there was something special about her, but I would have never guessed that she was a star."

"Trance." Dylan said. "You said that your younger self was brought here to help us defeat the Abyss. Do you have any idea how to accomplish this?"  
Golden Trance looked out the Observation Deck's giant view port. Suddenly an idea came to her. She turned back to face the others.

"I believe we've been going about this the wrong way." She said.

"What do you mean Trance?" Rommie asked.

"I told you that I'm an Avatar of a star." Purple Trance said. "What I didn't tell you is that the Abyss is also an Avatar."

"You're saying that tall dark and scary is an Avatar of a star too?" Harper asked.

"No Harper. He's an Avatar, but not of a star, at least not a living star." Golden Trance explained "He's the Avatar of a black hole."

"So. Destroy the black hole and the Spirit of the Abyss will also die." Purple Trance added.

"And without him to protect the World Ship," Golden Trance said. "You will then be able to destroy it."

"Harper do you have any suggestions on how we might go about destroying a black hole? Dylan asked.

"I have several theories Boss." Harper replied. "One involving a Hawking radiation extractor and a slipstream portal. I'll need some time though, to work out the particulars and have a working model."

"We don't have a lot of time Harper." Dylan said. "Rommie could you assist him?"

"Yes Dylan." Rommie said.

"Trance?" Dylan asked. "Where is this black hole we need to destroy?"

"You're familiar with it Dylan." Golden Trance answered. "You were his prisoner for three hundred years."


	4. Chapter 4

Dylan thought back to the day of the battle, the betrayal, and finally the death of his best friend, the friend he was forced to kill. He then remembered coming to himself, and finding out that everyone and everything he knew and loved was gone.

"Alright people!" Dylan said, pushing those memories back. "We've got jobs to do. Rommie and Trance's younger self will help Harper in the Machine Shop. Becka, Golden Trance, and I will join Rhade on Command Deck where we'll conduct new battle simulations based on this new information. I guess we've got some explaining to do to Rhade."

"No need Captain." Andromeda's hologram announced. "I patched my video surveillance into Command, so Rhade would know what was going on. He saw and heard everything."

"Thanks Andromeda." Dylan said.

"You're welcome."

They all left the Observation Deck to perform their assigned tasks. Harper couldn't have been happier. Sure they would soon be facing the Magog World Ship again, where they could possibly all die a hideous and gruesome death, but he was also assigned a task that he had been wanting to try to do for a long time. He had to build something that could destroy a black hole. Many people believed that destroying a black hole was an impossibility, but those people weren't geniuses and they didn't have a Sparkly Purple Princess and a Warship helping them.

In the Machine shop Harper began searching through all the clutter for the rough plans and sketches he had previously made. "Ah!" he exclaimed, picking something up off the floor covered with sparky cola stains. "Here it is!"

"Harper." Andromeda's hologram said, as she appeared in the Machine Shop. "Before you begin, I need you to run a diagnostics of my system."

"What's wrong Rom Doll?" Harper asked. "Systems going offline?"

"No Harper. Nothing like that."

"Then what seems to be the problem?"

She told them of her conversation with Dylan on command and also about the random thoughts that entered her matrix during the conversation.  
When she finished, Purple Trance was finding it hard to keep a straight face.

"Trance." Andromeda said. "This is serious."

"I,.. I'm sorry Andromeda, but you,… you actually called him a mean ole Poo Head?"  
After saying this Trance could hold back her laughter no longer. She broke down into hysterics.  
Harper also began to laugh, but with a little bit more control. A little bit.

"I didn't actually call him that." Andromeda corrected them, ignoring their rude behavior. "I just thought about it."

"We're sorry Andromeda," Harper said, after he quit laughing. "But you must admit that the part about the brain sucking slime creatures and the whole Who's on first thing was kinda funny."

"Perhaps Harper." Andromeda said. "But I need to make sure that it isn't something serious. I don't want to be in the middle of attacking the Magog World Ship, and then all of a sudden start quoting Abbott and Costello or some other nonsense."

"I understand." Harper said. "Rommie, do you mind looking over my preliminary plans, while I check out Andromeda?"

"Not at all Harper." Rommie said. "Harper, you don't think it's anything serious do you?"

"She'll be OK Rommie. It's probably just a glitch in her personality files. If it was something serious, she wouldn't have just thought those things. Can you imagine Dylan's face if you had actually said those things?"

"I'd rather not." Andromeda said.

"Oh, Trance." Harper said. "I think there's some things in Machine Shop two that we'll be able to use for our new toy."

"I'll get them Harper."

"I should only be a few minutes, but while I'm gone, I expect you kids to play nice."

"Harper." Andromeda said in a disciplinary tone. "You're wasting precious time."

"Sorry Babe." Harper takes the computer cable, and gently inserts it into his data port.  
Harper's consciousness leaves his body, as the image of his cyber self appears in Andromeda's matrix.

"Hello Harper." A very large virtual image of Andromeda announced.

"Hello great and most glorious of all war ships."

"Flatter me all you want,…" Andromeda said, then waited. "... Well?"

"Well what" Harper asked

"Flatter me!"

"Uh,… Are you OK Rom Doll?"

"No Harper. I'm sorry. That's why I asked you in here. There is definitely something wrong with my emotions or personality files. It seems that it's getting harder for me to control these thoughts and urges that enter my matrix."

"I didn't realize that it was this serious Andromeda. I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me that it was getting worse?"

"You might think this sounds a little odd, but I didn't want my Avatar to worry."

"That's not odd Andromeda. I understand. Now show me your personality files and I'll see if I can find any anomalies."

"Right over here Harper."

Andromeda showed Harper the files thatshe suspected might be damaged. Harper spent several minutes studying her Personality files, as well as her emotion files, but he couldn't find anything wrong. Then finally, he noticed something, something very strange.

"Andromeda, when did you first notice something was wrong?"

"On Command deck, when Dylan was questioning me about you and Trance."

"So it was after my Purple Princess arrived?"

"Yes Harper. Why? What are you getting at?"

"Andromeda take a real good close look at these files, and I mean a REAL close look."  
Andromeda's virtual image shrank down to match Harper, and looked at the files.

"That shouldn't be possible Harper."

"It shouldn't be, but there it is."

"I never thought this would happen to me." Andromeda said.

"Nobody thought this could happen Rom Doll." Harper said, as he put his arm around her. "I mean, as far as I know it's never happened to an AI before, and I don't believe it would've happened now, if it wasn't for these strange energy deposits. Rom Doll, I've only seen energy readings like this one other time before. They're Teserect waves."

"How did I get infected with Teserect waves Harper"

"I'm assuming that they leaked from the portal that my Purple Princess came through. When I was trying to use the generator to evict my unwanted guests, energy from the generator was chaotic and randomly opening portals all over the place."

"But why wasn't I effected during that time?"

"I'm not sure Rommie, but like I said Teserect energy is unpredictable. I can set up a barrier however, so this won't happen again."

"At least I know, now why I was acting the way I was. I understand that Humans have severe mood swings, behave oddly, and also have peculiar cravings under the same circumstances."

"Well Rommie," Harper said. "At least you're just a little drunk, and not pregnant."

"That's not even funny Harper, or possible."

"We didn't think it was possible for you to get drunk either Rom Doll. You and I could try to disprove that other theory some time." Harper said as he wiggled his virtual eye brows.

"I see it all clearly now." Andromeda said, teasingly. "You have Trance get me drunk, then you have your way with me." Her virtual form slightly staggered.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you Rommie. Don't you?"

"Yes Harper, I know. To tell you the truth though, I have thought once or twice of giving in to your sexual overtures. After all, you are kind of cute Harper."

"Andromeda I think I'd better clean out these files and drain these energy waves before you say or do something we'll both regret later."

"You're right Harper. Thank you."

Harper quickly fixed her files and rid Andromeda's matrix of the foreign energy deposits.

"How you feeling Babe?"

"Much better. Thank you Harper"  
"

Anything for you, and I mean ANYTHING."

"Behave yourself Harper. Besides you sort of proved that you're more of a gentleman than you let on."

"What do you mean Doll?"

"I mean you could have, you know, …while I was drunk."

"Never gonna happen Rommie. I'll never take advantage of you like that. If you won't willingly give me what I want, then I'll just have to be content to dream,… andbelieve me,I have somepretty good dreams"

"I can imagine Harper." And she actually did,… imagine that is. "_Maybe someday_." She thought. She wondered for a moment what Harper's reaction would be if she ever did accept his sexual advances. "_He'd probably faint,… again_."

Harper exited Andromeda's Matrix and pulled the jack from his data port.

"Is Andromeda OK Harper?" Purple Trance asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. She just had some stray energy waves playing in her personality files"

"What?" Rommie asked. "Harper, that's serious. That could permanently damage her thought processors."

"Don't worry Rommie. I took care of it. She's fine. Would I let anything happen to you."

"No, you wouldn't . I'm sorry Harper. It's just that, I worry about her. I know she's me, but in many ways I've come to think of her as a big sister, or sisters, rather."

"She knew you would worry Rommie. That's why she didn't tell me how serious it was till I jacked in."

"So, she's keeping things from me now?"  
Andromeda's hologram appeared.

"I didn't want you to worry needlessly. I knew Harper could fix the problem, and he did."

"Well, that's good for now, but I want you to promise me that from now on, no secrets."

"OK, but that goes for you too. From now on we'll keep no secrets from each other. Deal?"

"Deal." Rommie said.

"Now, let's start working on my BHB." Harper said.

"BHB?" Trance asked.

"Black Hole Blaster." Harper said. Rommie rolls her eyes.

"Black Hole Blaster?" Rommie asked.

"Hey, it needed a name." Harper defended himself.

"You're a genius, and Black Hole Blaster was the best you could come up with?"

"That hurts Rom Doll. That really hurts. I know it sounds corny, that's why I called it a BHB. It sounds more impressive when you just use the initials. Like instead of calling it a Point Singularity Weapon, we call it a PSW. More IM-PRESS-IVE."

"If you say so Harper." Rommie said, not sounding a bit convinced. "Anyway Harper I've been going over your plans, and they seem to be in order."

"Of course. What would you expect from a genius?" Harper said causing Trance to giggle.

"Harper I've only found one problem with the design for your,…uh, BHB."

"A problem? With my design? No way! What is it?"

"According to your own calculations, and I verified them to be certain, the amount of energy needed to power your BHB is too great for Andromeda to handle."

"Oh that." Harper said. "I knew there was a reason I discarded the idea of making this thing."

"In fact Harper, you will need an almost unlimited supply of energy to operate it."

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know." Harper said, in a defeated tone. "Why can't anything ever work out the way it's supposed to for me?"

"I'm sorry Harper." Rommie said.

"It's not your fault Rommie. You know, you'd think I'd be used to things going wrong in my life. Earth, Magog, Ubers, Torture, Nightsiders, Getting infested by Magog. Is it too much for me to ask, that one thing go right for me?"

"I can do it." Purple Trance said, but Harper didn't hear her.

"Just one little thing, but no. The universe hates Seamus Z. Harper."

"I said I can do it." Trance repeated.

"What's that trance?" Harper asked, finally noticing that his Purple Princess had said something.

"I said I can do it. I can supply the power for your Black Hole Blaster thingy."

"Trance, How can you?"

"In my true form I can radiate enough energy to power that and much more Harper. You'll just have to make something that can collect the energy and transfer it to your device."

"Something like a solar collector." Harper said. "But much more powerful. It'll need to be built bigger and be able to handle an incredible amount of heat and energy."

"According to the readings I took of Trance earlier, while she was in her star form," Rommie said. "This should work"

"Trance." Harper said. "Will this hurt you? I mean taking this much energy from you can't be healthy."

"I'll be fine Harper." Trance hated lying to Harper, but she had to do this. Her friends had to live mo matter what. Anyway, they would still have her older self.

Harper had the feeling that there was something Trance wasn't telling him, but he knew if he kept pressing her it wouldn't do any good. When Trance decided she wasn't talking, all the pleading, begging, and shouting would get a person was nothing but a sore throat. Instead he continued working on his BHB, and working, and working, and … well you get the picture.

He worked all day and most of that night. Trance tried to stay awake to keep him company and get tools and parts for him when he needed them, but even she couldn't fight the overwhelming call of the Sandman. Harper and Rommie were busy making some final adjustments on the BHB, when he asked Trance for the screwdriver. When she didn't reply, he turned around and saw her curled up in a ball on the floor asleep.

"Rommie, What time is it?"

"Oh five hundred Harper."

"I didn't mean to keep you two up all night Rommie."

"I don't sleep Harper, but Trance,…Well you know she doesn't generally sleep that much. I'd say she must have been totally wore out to have fallen asleep like that."

"Rommie. I'm worried about her."

"Why? Because she fell asleep?"

"No, not that. I don't think she was being totally honest, when she said that it wouldn't hurt her to be the power source for the BHB."

"Since my sensors aren't able to read Trance's vitals, I'm unable to say whether she was being truthful or not."

"You might not be able to, but my gut is telling me that something is wrong. It has something to do with what her twin said earlier."

"What's that Harper?"

"Remember when the other Trance was talking about her timeline, how she came back, and changed places with Trance so that she could fix things?"

"Yes I remember"

"She said that the ones she saw in her vision told her that she alone would not be able to destroy the Abyss. Rommie, if this plan works, then why would there have to be two Trances here?"

"I don't know Harper, but I'm beginning to think you may be right."

"This isn't something I _want_ to be right about Rom Doll."

"I know Harper." Rommie said, placing a comforting hand on Harper's shoulder. "But just because we need them both to defeat the Abyss, that doesn't mean that this plan won't work or that Trance will get hurt. Perhaps one of them will be needed on Command while the other powers the BHB."

"Thanks for the pep talk Doll." Harper began to feel a little better about his Purple Princess. "Rommie would you mind carrying Trance to her room? I would, but you know how she is about not letting others see her room. Besides if someone saw me leaving Trance's room this early in the morning, they might get the wrong idea."

"It's OK Harper. I'll take her"

"Thanks Rommie. Be gentle with her"

"I will Harper."

Rommie gently scooped Trance up in her arms.

"Don't drop her."

"I won't Harper."


	5. Chapter 5

Rommie exited the machine shop to take Trance to her room, leaving Harper alone to think and finish the adjustments to the BHB. He picked up the screwdriver, and remembered back to the day that he first acquired this very handy tool.

He was still on Earth. He had just found a half eaten bread roll and a can of some sort of liquid. The only letters he could make out on the can were ..ARK. CO.A. The other letters were unreadable due to rust on the can. He knew that if he was caught digging through the dumpsters that the Ubers would torture him, because that's what they do. Who cares if nobody was going to eat this stuff. They use anything as a reason to beat a Kludge. Heck, they'd beat a Kludge for no reason. Knowing this Harper quickly ran from where he found his lunch, hiding it under his shirt. He kept looking behind his back to see if anyone was following him. That's when his body stopped suddenly, as he felt himself run into someone.

"_Don't let it be an Uber, Don't let it be an Uber_." He was praying silently to anyone that would listen.  
"

Whoa! Slow down. What's the hurry?" Harper heard a man ask. Harper assumed the position as one always does, when being addressed by Ubers. Don't speak unless spoken to, when speaking to an Uber call them Sir, NOT Uber, keep your head bowed, but be ready to run at any given moment.

"I heard they're hiring at the spaceport Sir.. I wanted to get there before all the jobs were taken." He lied. Well, the part about the spaceport hiring workers wasn't a lie, just the part about him going.

"Are you an engineer?" The man asked.

"No Sir." Harper said. "I just fix things."

"Ah, I see." The man said. "Perhaps you can help me with something. You see, my,… uh transport is in need of some replacement parts. I'm unfamiliar with this area. I'd be willing to pay you if you could tell me where I might find these."

After hearing the man state that he had a transport and wasn't local, Harper took a chance and looked up. What he saw was the strangest attired man he had ever seen, and that's saying something since living on an Uber controlled planet, most people wore whatever they could find or make. He was wearing gray wool trousers, a white silk shirt, plaid vest, and a long brown coat. He also wore a brown hat and the longest multicolored scarf Harper had ever seen. Definitely not an Uber. He also noticed the man holding out a sheet of paper with some writing on it. Harper assumed that it was a list of parts that the gentleman needed.  
Harper stared at the writing for a few seconds.

"I,… Uh,…" Harper could read, but he couldn't read the list he was being shown. Harper concluded that it was probably wrote in Common. He really could use the money. The man hadn't said how much he would pay Harper for helping him find the parts, but any money was better than none. "Listen you come with me. I know the best place to find everything you need."

"By the way," The man said, as he offered his hand "I'm called the Doctor."

"Friends call me Harper." Harper said, shaking the Doctor's hand.

The shop was close and did in fact have everything that the Doctor needed, although he could have gotten them cheaper on Rizan12, but without the Tardis operational he couldn't get to Rizan12. He was at least fortunate that he hadn't materialized on a primitive world. He paid the shopkeeper, and he and Harper left with the newly acquired parts.

Harper and the Doctor walked back to the alley where they met, and for the first time Harper noticed a large blue rectangular box. The doctor entered the Tardis, and was inside for a few moments. When he finally came back out he had a smile on his face.

"They work Perfectly." He told Harper.

The Doctor began to dig in his pockets, as if he were searching for something. He pulled out a large ball of twine, a golden key, a yoyo, and many other odds and ends. Harper had seen a similar search take place back at the shop. "Ah here it is!" The Doctor proclaimed. "I knew I had some more here somewhere. Let's see, the parts cost five hundred credits. How does ten percent sound for a finders fee"

"Fifty credits?" Harper asked in unbelief. He had worked many jobs for a whole week and only made five credits.

"You're right." The Doctor said. "I'll make it one hundred."

This time Harper was too stunned to say anything. The Doctor gave him the credits, and opened up the door to his Tardis.

"By the way." The Doctor said. "I heard that there was a Captain Valentine looking for a good engineer. Her ship, the Maru, is currently at the spaceport in docking zone B. I know you said you weren't an engineer, but you might want to give it a try"

"Thanks. I think I'll do that. Anything's better than this place. That is if she even hires me."

"Oh, I think she will Harper. One more thing before I go. I want you to have this."  
The Doctor held out a strange looking rod.

"What is it?"

"What is it? It's only the second most useful tool in the universe. It's called a sonic screwdriver."

Harper took the tool.

"Thank you. The second most useful tool in the universe huh? What's the _**most**_ useful tool in the universe?" Harper asked.

"My dear boy, that would be a nano welder!" The Doctor said with a big toothy grin.

"Of course! What was I thinking?" The Doctor entered the Tardis. As the Door was closing Harper heard the doctor shout.

"Remember! Valentine! Maru! Docking zone B!"

"_Man, I don't think I'll ever forget the sound that thing made as it disappeared_." Harper thought. "_I wonder where he is now, and how he knew that Becka would hire me. That was pretty much the turning point in my life. If I hadn't ran into him, I never would have went to the spaceport, wouldn't have met Becka, Trance Rev, ..."  
_

"Harper." Andromeda's hologram appeared. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah Rommie." Harper replied, as his mind snapped back to the present. "I was just thinking about the past." Harper quickly made a few more adjustments on the BHB. "All done." Harper said.

"Rommie I'm gonna get some sleep. My shift on Command starts in three hours. Will you wake me"

"I'll wake you in eight hours Harper." Andromeda said in a stern tone. "You've been working all day and night on this. I'll clear it with Dylan."

"Thanks Babe. You're the best."

While Harper went to his quarters to get some much deserved rest, a conversation was taking place in Trance's room.

"You told him you'd do what?" Golden Trance asked in shock.

"He needed some way to power it, so I volunteered." Purple Trance said.

"And he agreed?"

"Um Hmm." Purple Trance nodded.

"Does Harper know chances are you won't survive,… What am I saying? Of course he doesn't know!"

"No." Purple Trance said. "He would never let me do this if he knew that."

"Let me do it." Golden Trance said.

"No"

"You're just being stubborn now little sister. You know that everyone on this ship would rather have you here than me."

"That's not fair! You are me. They have accepted that. They will be able to deal with me leaving this time as they did the last time."

"The last time, you didn't die."

Meanwhile in Dylan's quarters, Dylan is awake and eating breakfast. Andromeda's hologram appears.

"Good morning Dylan."

"Good morning Andromeda. Do you have today's roster?"

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you. Harper, Trance, and my Avatar worked all night on Harper's weapon to destroy the black hole. Trance finally fell asleep on the floor and my Avatar told Harper to get some sleep also. I hope it's all right?"

"Yes, it's quite all right. If I had been there, I would have made it an order that he got some rest. I don't expect him to figure out how to destroy a black hole in one night."

"Dylan,… He is done."

"Done? Already?"

"He already had some preliminary plans drawn up. He only needed to perfect a few things, and then build the actual BHB."

"BHB?" Dylan asked.

"Black Hole Blaster."

"Black Hole Blaster?"

"Harper named it."

"Oh. That explains it."

"He said that it sounded more "impressive" to just call it a BHB."

"If you say so."

"I don't. He did." Andromeda said with a smile.

"Understood Andromeda." Dylan said also smiling.

"So, Dylan, who is available to fill in for Harper's shift on Command?"

"I didn't have anything planned this morning. I'll do it. Who's currently on Command?"

"My First Officer is presently on Command."

"Thank you. Inform Becka that I'll be in to relieve her in twenty minutes."

"Yes Dylan." Andromeda's hologram vanished.

Andromeda's Hologram appeared on Command.

"Good morning Andromeda." Becka said.

"Good Morning Becka. Dylan wanted me to inform you that He will be relieving you in twenty minutes."

"Dylan? I thought Harper was scheduled to relieve me."

"He was, but he was up all night working on his new project."

"You mean the device to destroy the black hole?"

"Yes. He wanted to sleep for three hours, but my Avatar told him that she would let him sleep eight, and clear it with the captain."

"I'm glad Dylan agreed. Shorty needs all the rest he can get. I hate it when he over does it."

"You really care about him don't you."

"Yes I,… no not that way!" Becka quickly amended when she saw the look on Andromeda's face.  
"

In what way then?"

"You know. I,.. I guess he's like a little brother. We've always been close like that. I still remember the day he came to the space port back on Earth asking for a job as engineer. I don't even know how he knew I needed an engineer. I was planning on heading to some of the local establishments and asking around, but before I even left the space port, I saw this scrawny looking kid running toward the Maru. He told me he wanted to apply for the job. I was, to say the least skeptical. I had a few minor things that needed repaired, so I had him work on those while I went in search for someone better and more experienced. I returned later, unsuccessful in my search for an engineer to find that the kid had already fixed the items I had told him about plus he fixed my coffee maker. That coffee maker hadn't worked properly for six months. Needless to say, he got the job."

"You hired Harper as the Maru's engineer because he was able to fix your coffee maker?" Andromeda asked in unbelief.

"Hey. I really like my coffee." Becka said before taking a drink from her coffee mug.


	6. Chapter 6

Dylan entered Command to find a very wired First Officer.

"Hello Dylan. How are you this morning? Want some coffee? I just brewed another pot."

"No thanks." Dylan answered. "Becka, how much coffee have you had this morning"

"Only one."

"One cup?"

"No. One pot." Becka said, showing Dylan the newly brewed pot.

"Becka."

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind. I'd tell you to go get some rest, but as much coffee as you've drank, I don't guess that's gonna happen."

"I don't guess." Becka replied. "But I do need to go somewhere." Becka said suddenly feeling a pain in her stomach.

"Where's that?"

"No time to talk Dylan. See you later." Becka quickly left Command, leaving Dylan standing dumbfounded.

"Andromeda, do you know why Becka suddenly ran out of Command?"

Andromeda's hologram rolled her eyes at how clueless her captainwas of this situation.

"Dylan. If you had just drank a whole pot of coffee, wouldn't there be someplace you would have to go?"

Dylan thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. All Dylan could say was, "Oh."

Rommie was walking through the ship's corridors, making her regular rounds. She found it somehow fulfilling doing this every night, although there was really no need. Her main AI's onboard sensors would detect anything out of the ordinary, but since she didn't sleep, she took it upon herself to be a nightly sentinel, watching over her crew. She walked past Rhade's quarters to hear the familiar sound of the Nietchien snoring very loudly. Apparently Nietchiens are superior at everything, she laughed to herself. She then walked by Trance's room only to hear two individuals arguing about something. She could tell that it was the twin Gemini's, but she decided that it would be wrong for her to eavesdrop on them. She wondered why they would be upset with each other as she walked on by. As she neared Command, she was nearly ran over by Becka, as she came running out of Command.

"Becka what's,… "

"No time to talk Rommie!"

As quickly as she came, she was gone. Rommie connected with Andromeda to find out what was wrong with Becka and let out a slight giggle, sounding a bit like Purple Trance. "Becka you're priceless."

Aware of Dylan's presence on Command, she left to check on her last crewmember.  
Rommie entered Harper's quarters and walked near his bed. She looked around at the scraps of paper and mechanical parts that were littered all around his room and wondered how he could live in such a mess. Then she recalled a much worse place that he came from. Compared to places he must have lived on back on Earth, this would probably be considered quite immaculate. She diverted her eyes from the disarray, and focused on her engineer, her creator, and friend. She was happy to find him resting peacefully. It was a rare occasion for Harper to have a nights sleep free off nightmares. She reached down to the blanket that had fallen to the floor, and pulled it back up around him.

"Pleasant dreams Harper. You deserve them."  
She left his quarters pleased with her nightly duties. Back inside Harper's quarters Harper hugged his blanket tightly.  
"Thank you Rommie." He mumbled only half awake.

A few hourswent by, and Rommie decided to confront the Trances about what she heard.

"Trance." Rommie said, standing outside Trance's door. "It's me, Rommie. May I come in?"

The door opened and Golden Trance invited her in.

"Is there something wrong Rommie?" Golden Trance asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"What do you mean Rommie?" Purple Trance asked.

"As I was making my rounds last night, I heard the two of you arguing about something. I realize it may not be any of my business, but if it concerns the welfare of my crew or the safety of this vessel, I wish you would tell me."

"Rommie." Golden Trance said. "We'll tell you, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone else, especially Harper."

"Trance, what's going on? Is something wrong with Harper?"

"No Rommie." Purple Trance said. "There's nothing wrong with Harper. We just had a disagreement about me powering Harper's BHB."

"You were lying to Harper when you told him that powering the BHB wouldn't harm you." Rommie said.

"I didn't want to Rommie. I never wanted to lie to him, but I need to do this. The Abyss must be destroyed, and Harper's BHB is the best chance we've got."

"And you don't agree with her." Rommie asked Golden Trance.

"I agree that this must be done. What I don't agree with is her being the one to do it. I know how much Harper cares for her. When Harper woke in Medical and saw his Purple Princess again, he was literally glowing. I hadn't seen him that happy for a very long time."

"So you think that it would be better for you to die and your younger self to live? Does that fit in with your perfect future?"

"No." Golden Trance admitted. "But it would be the best for Harper."

"But you don't know that." Purple Trance accused. "You haven't seen this have you?"

"No, but anybody can see that he loves you and not me."

"You Are Me!" Purple Trance argued. "You are also stronger than me. They will need you in the future, even after we destroy the Abyss."

"Is this true Trance?" Rommie asked Golden Trance. "Are you stronger than her?"

"Yes. When I changed into this form I also obtained more energy from my star than I had before."

"With that extra power would you survive powering the BHB?" Rommie asked.

"No. It's hard to explain, but it doesn't matter how much power either of us has. Once we begin discharging our energy toward the collectors to power the BHB, we can't stop. Our energy will continue to discharge until we are totally drained. All that will be left will be the shell of our dead Avatar and our real star."

"Isn't there another way to power Harper's device?" Rommie asked.

"Even all of Andromeda's power and the Maru's put together wouldn't be enough." Purple Trance said. "The only way is for me to do this"

"Or me." Golden Trance added. "I still don't understand why you are so willing to do this. I know that you love Harper, so why throw your life away like this? I could do it and I would hardly be missed."

"I need to tell you something." Rommie said. "If you think that Harper doesn't care for you as much as your younger self, you're badly mistaken. It may have taken him some time to accept you as who you are, but now that he has, his feelings for you are the same as those he has for her."

"How can you know this Rommie?" Golden Trance asked. "Did he tell you"

"Not exactly. Let's just say that when he jacks into my matrix, there's not much he can hide from me"

"All crewmembers report to the briefing room." Andromeda's voice said, bringing an end to the three's discussion.

"Remember Rommie." Purple Trance said. "Not a word to Harper about any of this."

"I promise not to tell him, if you promise that you will. He deserves to know."

In the briefing room, everyone was seated around the table, waiting. Suddenly the door opened and Harper entered, walked over to the table, and took a seat between Purple and Golden Trance.

"Sorry Boss." He said. "I had a hard time getting awake."

"No need to apologize Harper. Rommie told me you were up all night, finishing your BHB. That brings me to whyI called you all to this briefing. The battle simulations have been going much better , and with Harper's Black Hole Blaster completed, I think it's time that we make our move. Harper, Exactly how will this BHB work?"

"Basically, once the BHB is powered, It will open a slip portal with a negative charge. The BHB will then begin to extract all the Hawking Radiation from the black hole and direct itinto the slip portal. When it's all finished, no more black hole."

"Harper, this is a fairly large black hole we're talking about. What kind of power are we going to need to power this thing?" Dylan asked.

"Already got that covered Boss. Trance says she can power it."

Dylan looked at both Trances skeptical.  
"Is this true?"

"Yes." Purple Trance replied, without further explanation.

"There is however a detail of which you need to know." Golden Trance stated.

Harper looked at both Traces inquisitively, while Purple Trance gave her twin a pleading look, shaking her head.

"Trance." Becka said. "What's going on?"

"What detail?" Harper asked.

Purple Trance's hand took Harper's in her's.  
"I'm sorry Harper." She said. "I didn't want to lie to you, but, I have to do this. You have to live. All of you have to live."

Harper finally realized what Trance was talking about.  
"No! Trance I won't let you do this! You can't!"

"I must Harper. It's the only way to defeat the Abyss."

"Then forget the Abyss!" Harper shouted. "We'll leave. We'll get as far away from here as possible. Heck we've traveled through time before. We'll go far into the past before there even was an Abyss, then we'll be safe."

"You don't know what you're saying Harper."

"I know exactly what I'm saying." Harper explained. "If I need to make myself clearer, I love you Trance, and there is no way I'm letting you sacrifice yourself for us."

"Trance." Dylan said. "I feel the same way." Everyone looked at Dylan a bit socked by his statement.

When Dylan saw the looks of shock on the faces of his crew he felt the need to explain himself.

"I mean the part about not letting you sacrifice yourself, not the loving you part."

"Are you saying you don't love me Dylan?" Purple Trance asked, with sadness in her voice.

"We all love you Trance." Becka said. "I think what Dylan meant was that he didn't love you in the same way that Harper does."

"Oh, OK." Purple Trance said. "That's better."

"I believe we have gotten off topic." Telemachus stated.  
"You're right Rhade." Dylan said. He then turned to Golden Trance. "You've been quiet during all of this. Do you have anything to say?"

"About love or sacrifice?" She asked. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. They are both connected. When one loves someone, they are bound to make sacrifices for the ones they love. Whether it be a career, your time, money, or one's life, sacrifices are a necessity. There's no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend." Golden Trance took Harper's other hand.

"Are you saying that it's alright for her to kill herself?" Dylan asked.

Harper set there stunned. In each of his hands he held the hand of the woman he loved. There just happened to be two of them. "_How can she even consider doing this_?" He thought to himself.

"No Dylan." Golden Trance said. "I'm not saying that at all. In fact I believe that it's imperative that she live."

Harper breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived.

"That's why I will power the BHB."

"NO!" Harper shouted.

Harper woke up in Medical.  
"Huh? What happened?" He asked, when he saw Golden Trance sitting next to him.

"You passed out." She said. "Harper, remember last week when you got those parts for Andromeda on Yura Drift?"

"Yeah." He said groggily. "I remember."

"According to Andromeda, they had a flu epidemic shortly after we left. Harper you've contracted the Hakinkof flu."

"Not the Hakinkof flu! Anything but the Hakinkof flu! Uh,… What's the Hakinkof flu?"

"It's similar to the Kofinhak flu, but not as lethal."

"Define not as lethal Trance." Harper said, starting to worry. "Am I gonna die?"

"Don't worry Harper. We caught it in time. You'll be OK, however you will be confined to Medical for the next two days to rest and prevent anyone else from being infected."

"Two days?" Harper exclaimed. "I can't! What about the Abyss? What about the black hole?" Harper finally realized something.

"Wait a minute! Where's Trance? Where's my Purple Princess?"

"Harper calm down." Rommie tells him, after entering Medical.

"You tell me where my Purple Pixie is first, then I'll calm down."

Rommie and Golden Trance looked at each other, neither one wanting to be the one to tell him.

"She went to do it, didn't she?" Harper asked.

When Harper saw the looks on their faces, he knew he was right.

"Yes." Rommie said. "After making the necessary slip jumps, we are now within sensor range of the black hole. Trance and Becka left in the Maru, with the BHB. If all goes as planned the black hole should be destroyed within the next two hours."

"If all goes as planned? Rommie! How could you just let her leave? I can't believe Dylan's letting her do this! Trance! I thought you said she should live! Why didn't you stop her?"

"I tried Harper." Golden Trance said. "After you passed out, She helped me bring you to Medical. While you were still unconscious, we talked. I tried to convince her that it would be best if I go, but she wouldn't listen. She wasn't even paying attention to me. It was as if she was concentrating on something else. When I had finished ranting, she looked at me and very calmly said, "We both must do what we must. You will know what to do when it's _time_."

"For some reason my reasons for stopping her didn't matter anymore. I somehow knew that she was doing the right thing. I can't explain it. Harper, I'm sorry. I know that your feelings for her were,… well different than what you feel for me."

Harper put his arm around Golden Trance.  
"Trance." Harper said. "I love you. I know that you were once my Purple Princess, but when she came back, I ,… I don't know. I didn't want anything to happen to either one of you. I'm going to miss her." Tears fell from his eyes as he held the golden warrior in his arms.

"I love you too Harper, and I will also miss her. She is a part of me that I will always cherish."

"I just wish there was some way that she didn't have to die." Harper sobbed.  
In that very instant somewhere in the universe a star suddenly became twice as bright. At the same time Golden Trance had a vision of something so extraordinary, it was hard for her to comprehend. If Harper could have seen her face he would have seen a small smile begin to form on the warriors face.

"Yes." She said. "That would be nice Harper."


	7. Chapter 7

On board the Eureka Maru, Becka and Purple Trance prepared to activate the BHB.

"Are you sure you want to do this Trance? I'm sure that given some time that we'd be able find another source of energy powerful enough to power this thing."

"I'm sure Becka, and besides, time is one thing we do not have."  
Becka looked at her friend, realizing that in just a few moments she'd be gone.

"Trance, you know this is going to kill Harper."

"He'll be fine Becka. Trust me. Everything will be..."

"Perfect?" Becka asked. "Trance, How can your death fit into your perfect future"

"I won't really die Becka."  
Becka knew that Trance was referring to her Golden twin. Although she will die, her golden, older self would still live.

"It won't be the same Trance. You will be gone. I'm not saying I don't care for the older you, I had a long talk with her about that very thing, but I'll miss you Trance." Becka said, as she embraced her friend for quite possibly the last time.

"Becka." Trance said. "You're right. It won't be the same, but that doesn't mean it will be bad. It just means, it will be different."  
Becka let go of her friend and stepped back. The proximity alert sounded, notifying them that they were at their destination. "If you're not gonna let me talk you out of this, I guess we better do what we came here to do."

"Is the BHB already installed?" Trance asked.

"Yes, and the energy collectors are all connected. I set them up in the cargo hold. I figured that you'd need the room."

"Thanks Becka."

"Don't thank me Trance. I don't enjoy assisting you in killing yourself."

"Becka. Don't talk like that."

"I know, I know. This has to be done for the greater good, and for your perfect future. Did it ever occur to you that a slightly less than perfect future might be good enough."

"Becka, if I don't do this, there won't be _any_ future. Sure Dylan and the others might be able to eventually kill the Abyss's current Avatar, but as long as his black hole exists, he'll keep coming back, only more powerful. It is my duty to do this. I should have taken care of him the first time."

"First time?" Becka asked puzzled. "You mean the first time we encountered the World Ship?"

"No Becka. I mean the first time I was given the order to kill Chance?"

"Chance?"

"That's his name, his _real _name. It was only four hundred years ago that he started calling himself The Spirit of the Abyss."

"You say that you were ordered to kill him. How long ago was that Trance?"

"How long? Half an Eternity? A million years? I'm not positive Becka. I can say that it was long before sentient man existed."

"By the Devine Trance! Are you serious?"

"Yes Becka. It was shortly after the universe and everything within it were created, that I was ordered to destroy Chance. He was once like me, but his star died. As it collapsed on itself, it became a black hole. At the same time his heart became just as dark and evil, but I thought that some day there may be a way to restore him, and then I'd have my brother back. I realize now that what I did was selfish. All the deaths that he caused, and all the destruction, I am as much to blame as him."  
For several minutes Becka stood there stunned. She couldn't possibly have heard what she thought she just heard. Trance and the Abyss were brother and sister? No way! Trance must have gone loopy.

"Trance did you just say that the Abyss is your brother?"

"Yes Becka. Now can you see why I must do this? It's all my fault. All the killing,…the Magog,… Earth,…even what happened to Harper's family. None of it would have happened,…." Trance takes a deep breath, as tears roll down her face. "If I had just done what I was called to do all those millennia ago, and killed my brother."

Becka only nodded as they headed for the Maru's cargo hold. In the cargo hold, Becka checked the energy collectors one last time. She couldn't help but feel like an executioner sharpening his axe.

"Becka it's time. You need to head back to the Maru's piloting station."

"Trance,… I want you to know something. The time that we've spent together, since you joined the Maru's crew, I've come to think of you as my little sister. I love you Trance and I'll never forget you."

"I love you to Becka. Nobody could want for a better sister than you. Tell Harper not to worry. Everything will be alright"

"Goodbye Trance." Becka said, hugging her once again.  
Becka let go and left the cargo hold.

"Time to shed a little light on things." Trance said, as she transformed into a small star.

The energy collectors immediately began absorbing the power that Trance was radiating. They then relayed that energy to Harper's BHB. Up in the cockpit of the Eureka Maru, Becka watched as the BHB opened a slip portal. Once the portal was opened, the second phase of the BHB kicked in, extracting the Hawking Radiation from the black hole at a seemingly impossible rate. The black hole was visibly getting smaller.

Back on Andromeda's Command Deck, Dylan, Rhade, and Golden Trance watched as the black hole began to shrink into nonexistence. "Andromeda." Dylan said. "This is history in the making. Could you record this?"

"Already being done Dylan."

"Thanks Andromeda."

"Trance, how's Harper feeling?"

"He's OK."

"Why did he pass out?" Rhade asked.

"I think it was the shock of losing one of us." Trance said, referring to herself and her purple twin.

Andromeda's Hologram appeared.

"I thought you told him that he had the Hakinkof flu?" The hologram stated.

"I did, but he doesn't. There's no such thing as the Hakinkof flu. I just thought it would be helpful if Harper was detained while Trance did what she has to do."

"Trance." Dylan said. "Do you have any idea how upset he's going to be when he finds out you lied to him?"

"Yes." Trance said, as she bowed her head. "I know exactly how upset he will be, but if things work out as planned, it won't be for long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dylan asked. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing is certain." Trance said. "I would rather not get people's hopes up, only to have them come crashing down."

"Are you saying..."

"Dylan I can't say any more! I'm sorry! Really."

Dylan wanted desperately to question the Golden warrior further, but having dealt with this sort of thing many times before, he knew that it would be pointless.

"Very well Trance. I'm sorry. I know you would tell us if you could."

"The black hole has decreased to seventy five percent." Andromeda's Screen Persona announced.

"In only ten minutes?" Rhade said. "That's amazing."

"At this rate the black hole should be totally eradicated in less than one half hour." Andromeda said, with a satisfied grin.

"Andromeda?" Dylan asked. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"It's a big universe." Rhade whispered to Trance. "There's plenty he doesn't know about."  
Trance choked back a laugh at Rhade's words.

"Excuse me Captain, but is it wrong for me to feel a bit of satisfaction in seeing this particular black hole destroyed?"

"No Andromeda. It's not wrong at all. I guess to be perfectly honest, I feel the same way."

(In Medical.)  
"What do you mean, there's no such thing as the Hakinkof flu?" Harper shouted.

Rommie explained to Harper why Golden Trance detained him.

"You would have tried to stop her Harper."

"You bet your pretty little processors I'd have stopped her! No such thing as the Hakinkof flu?"

"No Harper. She made it up."

"I don't know what to do Rommie. If all this is true, then I've lost my Purple Princess, and my Golden Goddess has lied to me. I'm losing my family all over again."

"That's not true Harper. You still have Becka."

"Yeah, until she decides to throw me out an airlock or run off with Rhade."

"She wouldn't do that Harper."

"Maybe not, but I also never thought that Trance would out and out lie to me."

"That doesn't mean they don't care for you." Rommie said.

"Rommie." Harper said, on the verge of tears. "I don't want to be alone again."

"I won't let that ever happen to you Harper. I L..."

"All hands report to battle stations." Andromeda's voice announced throughout the ship. "Repeat. All hands report to battle stations"

"You're released from Medical." Rommie said quickly to Harper.

"Rommie What were you going to say?" Harper shouted, but it was too late. Rommie was already on her way to the Command Deck.

"I guess I'll ask her later." Harper said to himself. He then ran as fast as he could to Engineering.

"What have we got Andromeda?" Dylan asked.

"I'm detecting a massive slip portal opening less than twenty light minutes from our position."

"How massive?" Dylan asked.

"Large enough for,… that." Andromeda replied, seeing the world ship exit the portal.

"He knows we're trying to kill him." Trance said. "He'll try to stop my younger self from completing her task."

"Andromeda, launch slipfighters." Dylan ordered. "We need to protect the Maru at all cost."

"Slipfighters launched." Andromeda said, as the slipfighters took up a protective position around the Eureka Maru.

"The black hole has decreased to fifty percent."

"Trance." Dylan looked at the golden warrior hopeful. "With the black hole diminishing, will the Abyss be effected?"

"Yes. Not only will the destruction of the black hole kill the Abyss, but he will also grow weaker as the black hole becomes smaller."

"That's all I wanted to know. Captain to Engineering."

"What's on your mind Boss?" Harper asked, trying to sound like his normal cheerful self.

"I want to load three Nova bombs into the torpedo tubes."

"Nova Bombs. Got it! Um,… Boss if we fire a Nova Bomb while Trance and Becka are still out there."

"Don't worry Harper. We won't fire them till the Maru gets back. After all we need Becka as pilot to outrun the blast of those things."

"Alright Dylan. I'm on it!"  
Harper equipped the three torpedoes with Nova Bombs and quickly returned to his post in Engineering.

He patched into the audio sensors of Andromeda's Command Deck so he could hear everything that went on during the battle. He discovered sometime back that this aided in knowing what to do before Dylan or anyone asked for it. It just seemed more efficient to him.

"World Ship is launching Magog swarm ships." Andromeda announced.

"Rhade make a pass between them and the Maru."

"A flyby?" Rhade asked.

"Not exactly. Harper picked up some new toys a while back. I sort of gave him a hard time about it, but I think they may be useful in our current situation."

"What kind of toys are you talking about Dylan?" Rhade asked.

"Draconian Fusion Mines."

Rhade didn't reply. He understood why Dylan would have been angry with the Engineer for obtaining such weapons. They were found to be a most demoralizing and brutal type of weapon , and therefore banned in most civilized systems.

Rhade did as he was ordered and maneuvered Andromeda to the position specified. "Beginning Mine deployment." Andromeda announced. When they were finished, they returned to protect the Maru in case any Magog got through. The area they had just left, was now full of Draconian Fusion Mines.

"Black hole now at twenty five percent." Andromeda announced, as the first wave of Magog abruptly discovered the Draconian mine field. Thousands of Magog died, as their ships made contact with the mines.

Harper watched on a small screen in Engineering. "I knew those things would come in handy." Harper said.

"That won't stop all of them Harper." Andromeda's hologram appeared and said.

"I know Rommie, but it still feels good to have done something helpful. You know, when I got those mines, I meant them as a gift for you, but when Dylan found out, I thought he was gonna throw me out an airlock without an environmental suit."

"I thought they were very nice gifts Harper."

"You did? Really?"

"Really."

Inside the Eureka Maru's cargo hold, Trance's star was becoming less and less bright. Soon her light would be gone.

Becka watched as the Magog World Ship exited the slip portal. She knew why it came. The Abyss somehow had discovered what they were up to, and had come to stop them. "Well this is one battle we're not gonna lose." Becka said out loud. "We've already lost too much." She said more quietly, as she imagined her young friend in the cargo hold being drained of her life's energy. "_Young_." Becka thought to herself. "_I guess I can't really think of her that way anymore. She's older than me. Heck, she's older than some solar systems"  
_

She then witnessed the swarm ships as they launched toward her position. Almost immediately Andromeda launched her slipfighters, which took up a position around the Maru.

The next thing she saw was Andromeda seeding the battlefield with what she assumed were the Draconian Fusion Mines that Harper had obtained a few months back.

"Shorty said those things would come in handy. If we live through this, I think Dylan owes Harper an apology."

On Andromeda's Command Deck Dylan, Rhade, Trance, and Rommie watched as the Magog Swarm ships continued to crash into the mine field.

"There's too many of them." Rhade said. "We'll run out of mines before they run out of ships."

"I know." Dylan said. "I'm just hoping it buys us enough time to get the Maru back."

"Dylan." Andromeda said. "I'm receiving a message from Becka."

"Put it on the screen."

"Hey guys." Becka said. "What's the status of the black hole? From here it looks like it's almost gone."

"The black hole is down to ten percent." Andromeda answered. "Dylan the World ship is powering up their point singularity weapon."

"Andromeda." Dylan said. "Send a continuous readout of the status of the black hole to the Maru. Becka when the readout shows zero percent get back here as quickly as possible."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Becka replied.

"Dylan." Rommie said. "The World Ship is now in range to use the PSW."

"They're firing!" Trance exclaimed.

"Dylan they're firing at the Maru!" Rommie announced.

"Rhade! Protect the Maru! We're taking the hit!" Dylan shouted.

Rhade quickly piloted Andromeda in front of the Maru, just in time to keep it from getting hit.

The Andromeda shook as she took the impact of the Point Singularity. Lights on the Command Deckwent off momentarily, but soon return to normal.

"Andromeda, report!" Dylan said.

"No Haul Breaches detected. Most systems are still operating, but I have lost contact with Engineering."

"Harper, report." Dylan calls through the Com system.  
No reply.

"Harper report!"  
Still no Answer.

"I'll go check on him Dylan." Trance said as she ran out of Command.

"I don't get it Rommie." Dylan said. "The last time we were hit by that weapon it almost destroyed us. This time it was as if we were hit by an ordinary class one torpedo."

"Perhaps the PSW is dependant on the Abyss, as Harper's BHB is dependant upon Trance. If that is the case, then as the Abyss is weakened by his black hole being destroyed the PSW would also be weakened."

"That would be good news for a change"

"Dylan." Rhade said. "The mines are down to twenty five percent. Any second now those Magog ships are going to make it through…. Correction. They've made it through."

"Yes, but they still have only a small opening through the field, so only a limited amount can come at us. Attempt to pick them off as they come through."


	8. Chapter 8

Trance entered Engineering to find Harper working on the Communications system.

"Harper!" Trance shouted, happy to see that he was alright.

"Uh, hi Trance." Her joy fell when she heard the tone of his voice. He's still upset about Purple Trance.

"We thought something had happened to you." "No." He replied, as he continued working on the console. "That blast just fried a few circuits in Andromeda's communications system. They'll be OK in,… one more,…THERE! Done."

"Harper, I'm sorry. I know that you're mad at me for helping her do this, but it had to be done. She had to be the one to do this. It was the only way that everything could possibly work out for the best."

"Work out for the best?" How can everything work out for the best with her..."  
Harper is unable to finish. Instead he wrapped his arms around Trance and cried. He no longer cared if it made him look weak, or less of a man. "I loved her, I really did, and I don't even know if she truly realized how much I cared for her."

"She knows Harper. You told her in the Briefing room. She also knew long before that."

"Trance. I'm sorry. It's just that right now, … I'm all mixed up inside. I love you, but at the same time, I'm mad at you for letting this happen."

"Harper, there's something that I need to tell you. When Becka returns, my purple twin will be..."

"Trance," Andromeda's hologram said as she appeared. "The Maru has just boarded. Report to the Docking bay. Medical Emergency!"

"We're on our way!" Harper said.

When they reached the Docking bay where the Maru had docked, Becka was carrying Purple Trance's motionless body down the boarding ramp.

"She needs to get to Medical!" Becka said.

"No." Golden Trance replied.

Becka looked at Golden Trance totally stunned.

"What do you mean no?" Becka and Harper both ask.

"I mean it's too late for that."

"How can you tell that?" Becka asked. "You haven't even scanned her body."

"You can't just do nothing Trance." Harper pleaded. "Please. Help her."

"I didn't say I wouldn't help her Harper." Golden Trance said. "Only that it was too late for Medical treatment."

"What can you do?" Harper asked.

"How can you help her?" Becka inquired.

"Becka." Golden Trance said. "I need you to leave the Hangar bay."

"I'm not leaving her"

"Becka you can't stay here while I do this. It would kill you."

"Oh,… And I suppose Harper is immune?" Harper being immune to anything was almost funny.

"Yes he is. Maybe."

"Maybe? Uh,… maybe I better leave too." Harper said. "You know, just to be on the safe side."

"I can't save her without you Harper, but there is a chance that if we fail, we will all three die. Are you willing to risk your own life to save hers and mine?"

"Yes, but what about the World ship? What if it attacks while we're doing this? I might be needed in Engineering."

"The World ship exploded the moment the black hole was destroyed." Becka said. "Apparently the will of the Abyss was what held that massive ship together. Without him, it and all the swarm ships exploded into a million pieces."

"Becka." Golden Trance pleaded. "Please leave now. We don't have much time."

"I'm sorry. Good luck Shorty." Becka said as she patted the top of Harper's head and exited the Docking bay.

"What do I have to do?" Harper asked.

"Take her hand."

Harper kneeled down next to his Purple Pixie, and took her still hand in his.

"Harper," Golden Trance said. "Do you love both of us? It's very important. You need to be truthful, not only to me, but also to yourself. If we begin this, and your feelings are only for one, we will all three die."

Harper didn't even need to think about his answer.  
"I love you both Trance. I always will, and I will do anything to save her"

"Harper, there is a price to pay for what we are about to do." Golden Trance said, as she began to glow brightly.

"I don't care. I'll pay anything., give anything, and do anything to have her back."

"Would you give your mortal life to save her?"

"Yes. Anything."

"Very well. Let's begin."

"Wait! What do I do?"

"Just continue holding on to her hand no matter what happens. Concentrate on the love you have for her,… for me,… for us."

Harper held Purple Trance's hand a bit tighter.  
"OK. I'm ready." He said.

Golden Trance returned to her star form. The heat radiating from her was almost too much for Harper to bare. He always liked getting a tan on the beach, but he was sure that this close proximity to Trance's true form would leave him with a nasty burn. He could feel the hairs on his arms begin to singe. Much more and He could say goodbye to his spiky hair. It felt like he was being cooked alive. He knew he had to let go or he would soon be consumed by the heat, but he refused to. He loved her,… them too much. If he had to die so that they could live, so be it. Just when he thought that he would pass out from the heat, he was suddenly refreshed. He no longer felt the extreme heat emanating from Golden Trance. Instead, he now felt cool and relaxed. This somewhat confused the Engineer, because he still saw the tiny star in front of him that was Golden Trance. At this time a fiery tendril came forth from her star. Harper didn't move away, although he knew he probably should. He had to believe that Trance wouldn't do anything that would physically harm him. He loved her, and he was pretty sure she felt the same. The tendril touched Harper's free hand. He expected it to burn, but instead of it being painful, it felt soothing. He heard Golden Trance's voice in his head. "_You have passed the test Harper. We are almost done_"

The star then hovered over top of Purple Trance and slowly descended upon her. Soon her star totally engulfed Purple Trance's body. Harper watched as the flames began to die down . They seemed to be seeping into Purple Trance's body. Soon there was no more flames, and no more star. Harper held even more tightly onto Trance's hand and began to pray to God, or as Rev referred to him, the Divine.

Purple Trance was in a dark place. It seemed to be without form. There was no light and no color. She was cold, alone, and terrified. The only thing that gave her comfort was that she had destroyed the Abyss, and thereby protected her friends. But she had no idea that she would wind up in a place like this. She fell to her knees and began to cry. She was unsure how long she had been crying when she finally felt a change in her surroundings. It was getting warmer. She lifted up her head thinking to see only the familiar darkness all around her, but instead she saw a light. It was a bright and magnificent light, and it was headed toward her. As it neared her, she was able to finally see her surroundings. She wasn't sure if they had changed with the presence of this new light, or if they had always been there, for all around her she could now see a paradise. There were flowers of countless varieties, trees that reached the clouds, and a beautiful waterfall creating a rainbow that reached from one side of the stream to the other. As the source of the light came closer she recognized it. It was her Golden twin. The star descended in front of her and took on it's humanoid form.

"It's time for you to return to the land of the living Sister."

"I wasn't sure if you would make it in time." Purple Trance said. "Or if you would come at all."

"Come now Trance." Golden Trance said. "You should know me better than that. After all, I'm you."

"Yes, but you are my future self." Purple Trance replied. "Things can change. People can change. You know me better than I know you, because you know what you were. I on the other hand do not know what I may or may not become."

"I may have changed colors Trance, but I'm still basically the same as you. There's no way I could not come after you."

"You realize that when we return we will be one."

"Yes. I know." Golden Trance said.

"Does Harper know?"

"I told him that we both had to pay a price, but I didn't tell him what that would mean for me."

"And for him?"

"He said he would do or give anything to have you back."

"He doesn't know what he has given up yet?"

"No. There wasn't time to go through all the details."

"I hope he won't he upset." Purple Trance said.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Golden Trance changed to her star form, as Purple Trance walks into the midst of the flames. Soon the image of the Purple Pixie is gone and all that remains is the star. The star ascends back up toward the sky, returning the way it came.  
As Harper set on the deck next to Trance, he began talking to her, telling her of his love for her and all the things they will do and places they will go after she gets better.

"Please Trance, just come back to me"  
Trance opened her eyes and saw Harper next to her. She also felt his hand holding hers.

"I love you Seamus Harper."

"Trance!" Harper shouted. "You're alive!" Harper was absolutely _glowing_.

"Of course I'm alive silly. What did you expect?"

"Well,… I,…I didn't know if it would work or not. I thought I might have done something wrong"

"You didn't do anything wrong Harper. You did everything right."

Harper lifted her up off of the cold deck and held her tightly in his arms.

"Don't ever do anything like that again. OK?"

"OK." Trance said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Uh,… Trance?"

"Yes Harper."

"Where's Trance?"

"I'm here." Trance said

"No. I mean the other you. The future you."

"She's here. We're here. The only way to save me was for her life force to merge with mine. Mine had almost weakened to the point that it would have been too late. I couldn't have done it without you Harper."

"So both of you now occupy the same body?"

"It's not really that weird Harper. We are the same person, and the timeline that she came from now no longer exists. We were bending some cosmic laws by both of us being here at the same time. By us merging, everything will be OK."

"Do you have her memories?"

"Only from the point of her changing places with me till the recent events. The things that happened in the future are gone for us now, Since it will never have happened."

"I was just getting used to having two of you around." Harper sighed.

"I'll bet you were." Trance said, as her tail slapped him on the back of his head.

"Hey! You've got your tail back!"

"Yippee! I hadn't counted on that."

"I'm glad you got your tail back, but that doesn't mean you have to keep hitting me with it."

"Oops." Trance said. Her tail had been wagging side to side, accidentally hitting Harper on the head some more. "Sorry."

"That's OK Trance. Um,… Trance I was wondering. Golden Trance basically had to give up her individuality to save you, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm just wondering what I lost. She asked me if I would be willing to give my mortal life, and I said yes, but I'm still alive."

"I don't know Harper." Trance said, suppressing a light giggle. "Do you feel any different?"

"No not really. Wait. Actually I do feel different. I feel great. In fact I've never felt better. I've never felt happier or healthier."

"Maybe you lost your bad health." Trance suggested.

"I'm not that lucky Trance."

"Well you do appear to be _glowing_." Trance said. "Almost as much as my future self used to."

"I'm just so happy Trance. That's all."

"Maybe."

"Come on let's get out of here and tell everyone you're OK. I'll let you explain to them about how you and Goldie Joined and everything. This was almost too weird for me Trance. I don't think I could take much more weirdness."

"OK. I'll explain to them. Let's go."

Trance and Harper wrapped their arms around each other, as they left the Docking bay. Behind them, two tailswaved back and forth, Trance's purple one, and Harper's golden one.

"By the way Harper. I love your ears."

**_THE END_**

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I've edited this, seperated the paragraphs, and seperated it into several chapters, in hopes of making it more enjoyable and easier to read.

Please let me know if you like it.

If you do then Read the Sequel,** _CHANGE IS GOLDEN_**


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